Three scientists awarded Nobel in Chemistry

Three scientists—Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi—have been awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their remarkable contributions to the field. The Royal Swedish Academy announced their names at 3:45 pm Bangladesh time, recognising their pioneering work on ‘metal-organic frameworks’ (MOFs).

According to the Nobel Committee, the trio developed molecular structures with exceptionally large internal spaces, allowing gases and other chemical substances to pass through with ease. These frameworks can be used to harvest water from desert air, capture carbon dioxide, store toxic gases, and accelerate chemical reactions.

In their innovation, metal ions act as cornerstones, connected by long organic molecules. Together, they form crystalline substances with countless cavities or pores, which are known as metal-organic frameworks.

So far, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded 116 times. The oldest recipient in this category was John B. Goodenough, who received the honour in 2019 at the age of 97. The youngest was Frédéric Joliot-Curie, who won in 1935 at just 35 years old.

The Nobel Prize, first awarded in 1901, was established in accordance with the will of Swedish scientist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite. He directed that his fortune be used to honour individuals making outstanding contributions in Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Peace and Literature. In 1969, Economics was added as the sixth category.